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    Seabees prove they 'Can Do' anything

    Seabees prove they 'Can Do' anything

    Photo By Crista Mary Mack | U.S. Navy Seaman Jon Wilkinson, a builder-carpenter, assigned to the Naval Mobile...... read more read more

    UTAPAO, Thailand — At four construction sites in Central Thailand, U.S. Naval Construction Forces, or Seabees, are working jointly with Royal Thai armed forces, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat, or Indonesian army, and U.S. engineers to build multipurpose rooms at schools in rural communities.

    The projects are in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 10, a regularly scheduled joint and coalition multinational exercise hosted annually by the Kingdom of Thailand. This is the 29th anniversary for the exercise, which will consist of a Coalition Task Force, United Nations Task Force, Command Post Exercise, Humanitarian Civic Assistance projects and field training exercises.

    "We (Seabees) are wanted worldwide," said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Mitchell Corley, a builder. "We do larger projects that the blue water navy cannot handle."

    Corley is a builder assigned to the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-1 based in Gulfport, Miss.

    The Seabees have rich history building bases, bulldozing and paving thousands of miles of roadway and airstrips and accomplishing many other construction projects worldwide.

    The earliest Seabees were recruited from the civilian construction trades and were placed under the leadership of the Navy's Civil Engineer Corps. It wasn't until they picked up rifles to fight, did they gain a more legitimate spot in the Navy's fighting force, said Corley. They also gained their official motto "Construimus, Batuimus," which translates into "We build, we fight."

    The emphasis on experience and skill has not changed over the years, making the Seabees an elite force of construction specialists.

    "The Seabees are more versed in each individual trade, because they do it a lot more," said Staff Sgt. Jerry Rodriguez, carpenter and electrician assigned to the 176th Engineer Company, Washington Army National Guard.

    Rodriguez, a former Seabee, added that having his Soldiers work with the experts provides them excellent training and specialized knowledge they don't receive in the Army.

    The Army provides a little bit of everything in their training, whereas the Seabees focus on one trade and become experts, he said.

    For the Engineering Civic Assistance Program missions in support of Cobra Gold 10, Maj. Carl Beury, U.S. Army, Pacific, Civil Affairs operations officer and lead ENCAP planner said the Seabees were the best fit for the job.

    "They do this kind of thing all the time," he said. "Their mission is to deploy and build, so they are the perfect fit for this job."

    Getting to Thailand to support the mission was a long process which had bumps along the way. The NMCB-1 was not the original unit scheduled to participate in CG10, but were last minute replacement for their sister unit NMCB-4.

    Living up to their second motto, "Can do," the Seabees of NMCB-1 made it to Thailand to participate in what Beury said is an important part of CG10.

    Lt. Christian Auger, job site commander at the Baan Kroeng Kra Reaon School, in the Ratchaburi province said his Seabees are "performing at the highest level possible," and they are glad they are here participating in a great and rewarding mission.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 01.30.2010
    Date Posted: 02.03.2010 00:21
    Story ID: 44829
    Location: UTAPAO, TH

    Web Views: 324
    Downloads: 254

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